Cornelius Amann
October 06, 2026
5/5
Vietnam: real food from Hanoi to Saigon
12 days of markets, street food and cooking classes in Hanoi, Hue, Hoi An and Saigon, with a Mekong Delta family lunch.
12 days · Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City · up to 12 guests
Shallots and garlic on the move in Dong Ba Market, Hue. Photo: Alice Young youngalicesalvatore, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dong_Ba_market,_Th%C3%A0nh_ph%E1%BB%91_Hu%E1%BA%BF,_Vietnam_(Unsplash).jpg)
The facts
At a glance
- Length
- 12 days, 11 nights
- Start and end
- Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City
- Group size
- 7 to 12 guests
- Activity level
Easy
Easy walking on most days, about 2 to 3 hours on foot at a time on flat city pavements and market aisles, plus standing time at three cooking sessions. One optional 3 km bicycle ride each way on flat lanes in Hoi An, with the vehicle as the alternative, and a sampan in the Mekong Delta that needs a steady step. Hot and humid for much of the year.
- Meals included
- 11 breakfasts, 8 lunches, 5 dinners
- Room of your own
- + CAD 545 (estimated price)
- Season
- Best February to April
Highlights
Why this trip
- A pho breakfast in Hanoi, then the Temple of Literature as it opens
- A morning market with a chef and a cooking class in Hanoi
- Dong Ba Market, bun bo Hue and a dinner in the imperial style in Hue
- Lunch in a Hue garden house after the Imperial City at opening
- Cao lau by the lanterns of Hoi An and a farm lunch at Tra Que
- A Saigon street food evening on foot, no scooters
- A family lunch in the Mekong Delta and a coffee workshop with a roaster
What makes this trip different
Free time is part of the plan
Free time and choices are marked on the days they fall.
Solo without the penalty
A room of your own is + CAD 545 (estimated price).
Day by day
Itinerary
Tap any stop on the map to open that dayClick any stop on the map to open that day
Arrive in Hanoi
Noi Bai International Airport to the Old Quarter
- Dinner
- Stay in Hanoi
- Drive about 45 min
Your trip starts at Noi Bai International Airport (HAN), north of the city, where we meet you and drive you to your hotel near the Old Quarter, about 45 minutes away. Rest after the flight.
Evening
In the early evening you meet your guide and the group for a short briefing, then we set off on foot for the first street food walk of the trip. The Old Quarter is a tight grid of narrow tube houses, many streets still named after the goods once sold on them, and after dark the pavements fill with low plastic stools. Your guide orders and explains as we go: a bowl of bun cha, grilled pork with rice noodles and herbs; crisp banh mi from a cart; fried spring rolls; and, to finish, an egg coffee, Hanoi's whipped yolk and coffee dessert served in a small cup. You also learn how to cross a road full of scooters calmly. If your flight lands too late, we meet you at breakfast instead.
Included
- Pick-up at Noi Bai International Airport (HAN)
- Welcome briefing with your guide
- Old Quarter street food walk with dinner and an egg coffee
Free time: Afternoon free to rest before the evening walk
Activity: About 2 hours on foot in the evening, with stops to sit and eat.
Hanoi: a pho morning
Breakfast pho, the Temple of Literature, then a bun cha lunch
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Hanoi
Morning
Hanoi eats pho for breakfast, so we do too. Early, before the city heats up, we walk to a neighbourhood pho shop for a bowl of beef pho with clear broth, and your guide explains how the Hanoi style differs from the sweeter southern bowls you will taste in Saigon. Then we try pho cuon, fresh rice noodle sheets rolled around beef and herbs, near Truc Bach Lake. From there it is a short ride to the Temple of Literature as it opens. Founded in 1070 and home to Vietnam's first national academy, its five courtyards and stone stelae of doctoral laureates are quiet in the first hour.
Afternoon
Lunch is bun cha at a family-run shop, the dish Hanoi is proudest of. The afternoon is free: walk Hoan Kiem Lake, rest at the hotel or find a cafe on a balcony over the street.
Evening
In the evening your guide can book you into a water puppet show.
Included
- Pho breakfast at a local pho shop
- Pho cuon tasting near Truc Bach Lake
- Temple of Literature at opening time, with entry
- Bun cha lunch
Optional experiences
- Water puppet show in the Old Quarter. Evening, booked on the day.
Free time: Afternoon and evening free
Activity: About 3 hours on foot in the morning, on flat pavements.
Hanoi: market and cooking class
A morning market with a chef, then a cooking class
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Hanoi
Morning
This morning belongs to a chef. We meet in the morning at a local wet market, before the best produce sells out, and walk the aisles together: the herb sellers with a dozen kinds of leaves, the noodle makers, the tofu stalls, the fish still in their basins. The chef explains what each herb goes with and how Hanoi cooks shop for one day at a time, and you help choose what we will cook. Then we head to the kitchen for a hands-on class: typically nem ran spring rolls, a green papaya or banana flower salad, a dipping sauce balanced by taste rather than by measure, and a northern dish such as bun cha or caramelised fish.
Afternoon
We eat what we cook for lunch.
Evening
The afternoon and evening are free. Some guests use it for the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology or a slow lap of the Old Quarter; your guide is on hand with ideas for an independent dinner.
Included
- Local market visit with a chef
- Hands-on cooking class with lunch
Easier option: Skip the market walk and join the class at the kitchen.
Free time: Afternoon and evening free
Activity: About 3 hours standing at the market and the cooking station. Vegetarian versions of each dish are arranged in advance.
Fly to Hue
Hanoi to Hue by air, Dong Ba Market and a dinner in the imperial style
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Hue
- Drive about 30 min
A short flight replaces the overnight sleeper train: about an hour and ten minutes from Hanoi to Phu Bai airport (HUI), then about 30 minutes by road into Hue. Hue was Vietnam's capital under the Nguyen emperors from 1802 to 1945, and the court gave the city a cooking of its own: many small dishes, careful presentation and a love of chilli.
Afternoon
We start where the cooks shop, at Dong Ba Market on the Perfume River, then sit down for lunch with a bowl of bun bo Hue, the city's spiced beef and lemongrass noodle soup. After time to check in and rest, we take a dragon boat up the river to Thien Mu Pagoda, founded in 1601, for its seven-storey tower in the late light.
Evening
Dinner is in the imperial style: a sequence of small dishes in the manner of the court, such as banh beo, steamed rice cakes in little saucers, and banh khoai pancakes, served with stories of the royal kitchens.
Included
- Flight from Hanoi (HAN) to Hue (HUI)
- Dong Ba Market with your guide
- Bun bo Hue lunch
- Dragon boat on the Perfume River to Thien Mu Pagoda
- Imperial-style dinner
Free time: Early afternoon free to rest
Activity: Mostly easy walking; the market aisles are narrow and can be wet.
Hue: the Imperial City and a garden-house lunch
The Imperial City at opening, the tomb of Tu Duc, lunch in a garden house
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Hue
- Drive about 45 min
We enter the Imperial City through the Meridian Gate as it opens, when the courtyards are cool and nearly empty. The monuments of Hue are a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and your guide walks you through the throne hall, the dynastic temples and the restored gardens, explaining what was lost in the fighting of 1968 and what has been rebuilt since, and where the royal kitchens stood.
Morning
Late morning we drive into the hills south of the city to the tomb of Tu Duc, a lakeside park of pavilions the emperor used as a retreat in his lifetime.
Afternoon
Lunch is the heart of the day: a meal in one of Hue's garden houses, family homes set in walled gardens of fruit trees and ponds, where the family cooks Hue dishes such as banh loc, clear tapioca dumplings, and com hen, rice with tiny river clams.
Evening
The afternoon and evening are free; your guide can point you to one of the Buddhist vegetarian restaurants Hue is known for.
Included
- Imperial City of Hue at opening time, with entry
- Tomb of Tu Duc, with entry
- Lunch in a Hue garden house
Free time: Afternoon and evening free
Activity: About 3 hours on foot at the Imperial City and the tomb, on paths and some steps, with shade in places.
Over the Hai Van Pass to Hoi An
Hue to Hoi An by Lang Co and the Hai Van Pass
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Hoi An
- Drive about 3 h
Today the road is part of the trip.
Morning
After breakfast we drive south along the coast to Lang Co, a fishing village between a lagoon and a long sand beach, and then climb the Hai Van Pass, where a spur of the Truong Son range runs into the sea. It has long been the climate divide between the north and the south, and at the top stand the ruins of an old gate and a few wartime bunkers. Cloud often sits on the pass, so your guide picks the hour on the day; if it is hidden, we spend longer at Lang Co and take the tunnel underneath.
Afternoon
Lunch is seafood by the water, then on to Hoi An by mid-afternoon, about three hours of driving in all.
Evening
At dusk we walk into the Old Town for cao lau, the thick, chewy noodles with pork and greens that by local tradition are only made properly in Hoi An, and watch the lanterns come on along the Thu Bon River.
Included
- Transport from Hue to Hoi An with your guide
- Lang Co
- Hai Van Pass, weather permitting
- Seafood lunch
- Cao lau dinner and an evening lantern walk in the Old Town
Free time: Late afternoon free
Activity: About 3 hours of driving, broken by Lang Co and the pass.
Hoi An: dawn streets and Tra Que farm
The Old Town at dawn, then the Tra Que vegetable village
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Hoi An
Hoi An Ancient Town, a trading port from the 15th to the 19th century and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is at its best before the shops open.
Morning
At about 6.30 am your guide walks the quiet lanes with you, past the yellow merchant houses, the Japanese Covered Bridge and the Cantonese Assembly Hall, with breakfast from a banh mi stall on the way. Your Old Town ticket is included. Then we cycle about 3 km out to Tra Que, a village of vegetable gardens between the river and the lagoon, known across central Vietnam for its herbs.
Afternoon
A farming family shows you how they work the beds with seaweed from the lagoon and water carried in watering cans on a shoulder pole; you lend a hand, then cook and eat a lunch of the garden's greens in banh xeo pancakes and fresh rolls.
Evening
The afternoon and evening are free: swim at the hotel, see a tailor, or go back to the river after dark.
Included
- Dawn walk in Hoi An Old Town, with Old Town entry
- Bicycle ride to Tra Que vegetable village
- Farm visit with a cooking lesson and lunch
Easier option: Ride to Tra Que in the vehicle instead of by bicycle.
Free time: Afternoon and evening free
Activity: About 2 hours on foot at dawn and a flat 3 km bicycle ride each way.
Hoi An: the market class
Hoi An Central Market with a chef, then a cooking class
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Hoi An
Morning
A slower morning. After breakfast we meet a chef at Hoi An's central market by the Thu Bon River, where boats still unload fish in the morning and the noodle sellers sell fresh sheets of cao lau and mi Quang. The chef talks you through the herbs, rice papers and fish sauces of the centre, and you buy what the class will cook. Back in the kitchen the class is hands-on: mi Quang, the turmeric noodles of this province, a fish dish cooked in a clay pot or banana leaf, and the white rose dumplings Hoi An is known for, finished with your own dipping sauces.
Afternoon
Lunch is what you make. The rest of the day is yours, with no plans: the beach at An Bang is about 15 minutes away by taxi, the Old Town is quieter in the late afternoon, and your guide can book a basket boat in the water coconut palms at Cam Thanh.
Included
- Hoi An central market with a chef
- Hands-on cooking class with lunch
Optional experiences
- Basket boat in the water coconut palms at Cam Thanh
Free time: Afternoon and evening free
Activity: About 3 hours at the market and the cooking station.
Fly to Saigon: street food on foot
Hoi An to Da Nang airport, fly to Ho Chi Minh City, an evening food walk
- Breakfast and dinner
- Stay in Ho Chi Minh City
- Drive about 1.5 h
Morning
After breakfast we drive about 45 minutes to Da Nang airport (DAD) for the flight of about an hour and a half to Ho Chi Minh City (SGN), which most people still call Saigon.
Afternoon
We check in to the hotel in the old centre and take the early afternoon to rest. In the late afternoon your guide walks you past the French-era City Hall and along the Nguyen Hue walking street to the riverside as the heat goes out of the day.
Evening
Then the street food evening, on foot and without scooters: across the canal to a street of seafood and snail stalls, where the cooks grill and stir-fry to order, then back for com tam, broken rice with grilled pork chop, and a southern banh xeo, the big crisp pancake you wrap in mustard leaves and herbs. Saigon cooking is sweeter and more generous with herbs than Hanoi's; by now you can taste the difference.
Included
- Transfer to Da Nang International Airport (DAD)
- Flight from Da Nang (DAD) to Ho Chi Minh City (SGN)
- Walk past City Hall and along Nguyen Hue
- Street food evening on foot with dinner
Free time: Early afternoon free to rest
Activity: About 3 hours on foot in the evening, with sit-down stops.
The Mekong Delta and a family lunch
Ho Chi Minh City to Ben Tre and back
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Ho Chi Minh City
- Drive about 4 h
We leave at about 7.30 am to beat the city traffic and drive about two hours south-west across the Tien River to Ben Tre, the coconut country of the Mekong Delta. A boat takes us along the main river, then we switch to a small rowing sampan through narrow canals shaded by water coconut palms. We walk a little through orchards and village lanes, with a stop for tea and seasonal fruit at a farm. There are no shop or candy workshop stops on this day.
Afternoon
The long stop is lunch with a local family at their home in the delta: river fish such as elephant ear fish, wrapped at the table in rice paper with herbs, and dishes the family cooks every day. Afterwards there is time to sit in the shade before the drive back.
Evening
We are in Saigon by late afternoon; the evening is free. The day has about four hours of driving in all, split by the morning on the water and the long lunch.
Included
- Transport to Ben Tre and back with your guide
- Boat on the Tien River
- Sampan through the water coconut canals
- Orchard walk with tea and fruit
- Lunch with a family in their home
Easier option: Stay on the boat and skip the orchard walk.
Free time: Evening free
Activity: About four hours in the vehicle in total, in two halves. Getting in and out of the sampan needs a steady step; the crew helps.
Saigon: a coffee workshop
A coffee workshop, Ben Thanh Market, a free afternoon and the farewell dinner
- Breakfast and dinner
- Stay in Ho Chi Minh City
Vietnam is one of the world's largest coffee producers, mostly of robusta grown in the Central Highlands, and Saigon runs on it.
Morning
This morning a coffee roaster shows you how the beans are grown, roasted and blended, then you brew with a phin, the small metal drip filter, and make the classics yourself: ca phe sua da with condensed milk over ice, egg coffee as in Hanoi, salt coffee from Hue and coconut coffee. Mid-morning your guide walks you through Ben Thanh Market for snacks and the food stalls inside.
Afternoon
The afternoon is free. For those who want it, your guide goes to the War Remnants Museum and walks the galleries with you, rather than leaving you at the door; entry is included.
Evening
In the evening we meet for a farewell dinner of southern dishes together.
Included
- Coffee workshop with a roaster
- Ben Thanh Market with your guide
- War Remnants Museum with your guide, with entry (optional to join)
- Farewell dinner
Free time: Afternoon free
Activity: Mostly easy walking; about 2 hours on foot.
Depart from Saigon
A free morning, then Tan Son Nhat International Airport
- Breakfast
- Drive about 30 min
The last day is yours, with no early start.
Morning
Have breakfast at the hotel, or walk out for a final banh mi and an iced coffee from a street cart, then take the morning slowly until your airport transfer.
Evening
If your flight leaves in the afternoon or evening and you want one more outing, your guide can arrange a half-day trip to the Cu Chi Tunnels, the network dug under the farmland north-west of the city and used through the wars against the French and the Americans. Tan Son Nhat International Airport (SGN) is about 8 km from the centre, usually 30 to 45 minutes by road depending on traffic. We drive you there in good time for your flight home; book a flight that leaves after about 11 am if you want the morning free, or any time if you are happy to leave straight after breakfast.
Included
- Drop-off at Tan Son Nhat International Airport (SGN)
Optional experiences
- Cu Chi Tunnels half-day trip. For afternoon or evening flights.
Free time: Morning free
- Hanoi3 nights
- Hue2 nights
- Hoi An3 nights
- Ho Chi Minh City3 nights
- Overnight stop
- Day trip
- By boat or train
Wildlife and weather: February to April is the driest and most comfortable time to travel the length of the country. Hanoi can be cool and grey until about March, which suits a hot bowl of pho. Hue and Hoi An get most of their rain, and the risk of typhoons, from September to December. Saigon and the Mekong Delta are hot all year and hottest in April; the delta's fruit is at its most varied from about May.
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Before you book
Right for you?
Good for you if you want
- Travellers who plan their holidays around what they will eat
- First-time visitors who want the north-to-south route at a slower pace, with a bed every night
- Cooks who want to learn the dishes and the herbs, not only taste them
- Solo travellers who want company at the table and a guide to order with
- Anyone who wants the classes and food tours included in one price
Not for you if you want
- Travellers who want Ha Long Bay, Ninh Binh or My Son (see our Hanoi to Saigon trip)
- Those with strict dietary needs that rule out shared kitchens, fish sauce or seafood without substitutes
- Anyone who wants scooter or motorbike food tours
- Travellers who want a beach week or the far north and Sapa
Book flights after we confirm your seat.
11 nights
Where you'll stay
Your hotels are named in your trip confirmation.
- Hanoi3 nights
- Hue2 nights
- Hoi An3 nights
- Ho Chi Minh City3 nights
One price
What's in the price
Included
Accommodation
- 11 nights: 3 in Hanoi, 2 in Hue, 3 in Hoi An and 3 in Ho Chi Minh City
- Central hotels of a 3-star-plus standard with air-conditioning and private bathrooms; we name each hotel when we confirm your dates
Transport
- Pick-up at Noi Bai International Airport (HAN) and drop-off at Tan Son Nhat International Airport (SGN)
- Domestic flights from Hanoi to Hue and from Da Nang to Ho Chi Minh City
- A vehicle and driver for the group in each region
- The dragon boat in Hue and the boat and sampan in the Mekong Delta
- Bicycles in Hoi An
Your guide
- A See Sight Tours guide with the group from day 1 to day 12, including on the flights
- Local chefs, hosts and site guides where needed
Activities
- Hanoi: Old Quarter street food walk, pho breakfast, Temple of Literature, market visit with a chef and a cooking class
- Hue: Dong Ba Market, dragon boat to Thien Mu Pagoda, Imperial City, tomb of Tu Duc and a garden-house lunch
- Lang Co and the Hai Van Pass
- Hoi An: Old Town ticket and dawn walk, Tra Que farm visit and lesson, central market with a chef and a cooking class
- Ho Chi Minh City: street food evening on foot, coffee workshop, Ben Thanh Market and the War Remnants Museum
- The Mekong Delta at Ben Tre by boat and sampan, with a family lunch
- All entrance fees for included sights
Meals
- 11 breakfasts, including a pho breakfast in Hanoi
- 8 lunches, including two cooking-class lunches, a garden-house lunch, a farm lunch and a Mekong family lunch
- 5 dinners, including three street food evenings, an imperial-style dinner in Hue and a farewell dinner
Not included
- International flights to Hanoi and from Ho Chi Minh City
- Vietnam visa
- Travel insurance
- Meals not listed above
- Drinks, except those served as part of a tasting or the coffee workshop
- Tips for guides, drivers, chefs and boat crews
- Optional activities, such as the water puppet show, the Cam Thanh basket boat and the Cu Chi Tunnels
- Tailoring and personal expenses
Extras
- Room of your own
- CAD 545 (estimated price)
When you can go
Dates and prices
Pick your start date when you request to book. We check that date and confirm it in your quote.
Prefer to travel without a group or guide? Ask us about arranging hotels, transport and city tours for you to travel independently.
Before you book
Booking terms
Nothing is charged now. Full terms and the cancellation schedule come with your quote, before you accept.
Business addresses
See Sight Tours Trips (USA): 3172 N Rainbow Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89108, United StatesSee Sight Tours Trips (Canada): 5305 50 Avenue, #1091, Red Deer, AB T4N 4B6, Canada+1-888-961-6584Guest reviews
What guests say
Reviews from guests on our day tours.
Jane
October 06, 2026
5/5
Susan
October 06, 2026
5/5
Tom L
October 05, 2026
5/5
MandL83
October 05, 2026
5/5
Darren O
October 05, 2026
5/5
Good to know
Questions
Prices in these answers apply from Jan 1, 2027. Black Friday offer: 15% off the small-group price for requests received by Dec 1, 2026. From CAD 2,715 per person. Dec 2 to Dec 31: from CAD 2,940. From Jan 1, 2027: from CAD 3,195.
What does the Vietnam food trip include?
11 nights in central 3-star-plus hotels, airport transfers, two domestic flights, a vehicle and driver in each region, a See Sight Tours guide throughout, two cooking classes with market visits, a Tra Que farm lunch, a coffee workshop, three street food evenings, all entrance fees in the day plan, and 11 breakfasts, 8 lunches and 5 dinners.
How is this different from your Hanoi to Saigon trip?
It follows the same cities and flights but is built around food. It drops Ha Long Bay, Ninh Binh and My Son to give Hanoi and Saigon a third night each, and adds markets with chefs, two cooking classes, a coffee workshop, a garden-house lunch and a Mekong family lunch. Choose the classic trip for the sights.
Can vegetarians or people with allergies join?
Yes, if you tell us at booking. Vietnamese cooking uses pork, seafood and fish sauce, but the cooking classes can make vegetarian versions of each dish and Hue has a long Buddhist vegetarian tradition. Severe allergies are harder at street stalls; we plan those meals at sit-down places and confirm what is possible before you book.
Is the street food safe to eat?
Your guide chooses busy stalls that cook to order and have a fast turnover, which is the best rule in Vietnam. Hotels provide bottled or filtered water. Most travellers are fine; bring your usual travel stomach remedies, and tell your guide if you want to go gently on the first days.
How big is the group and who leads it?
The small-group trip runs with 7 to 12 guests. A See Sight Tours guide travels with the group from Hanoi to Saigon, including on the flights, and local chefs, family hosts and site guides join where they add something.
How fit do I need to be?
This is an easy trip. Most days have 2 to 3 hours on foot at a time on flat pavements and in markets, plus standing at the cooking classes. The 3 km bicycle ride in Hoi An is optional, with the vehicle as the alternative, and getting into the Mekong sampan needs a steady step.
I am travelling solo. Do I pay a single supplement?
Only if you want a room to yourself. Prices are per person sharing, and a room of your own is from CAD 545 more. Solo travellers are welcome at every table; street food and cooking classes are some of the easiest places to meet the rest of the group.
When is the best time to go?
February to April, when the weather is mostly dry and mild from Hanoi to Saigon. We avoid the week of Tet, the Lunar New Year, when many food stalls and markets close. Hue and Hoi An get most of their rain from September to December.
Do I need a visa for Vietnam?
Most visitors do, Canadians included. Vietnam issues e-visas online before you travel. Rules change, so check the official requirements for your passport before you book flights.
How does booking work?
Choose a start date and send a request to book. We check availability and provide the final quote, itinerary and booking terms before you accept. No payment is taken when you send the request. The small group starts from CAD 3,195 per person sharing, taxes included.
Can we travel privately or on our own dates?
Yes. Besides the small group, the trip runs as a private trip for your party only, on a date you choose, from CAD 5,750 per person. If you would rather travel independently on your own dates, ask from the dates section and we will quote the same hotels, flights, classes and food days.
See Sight Tours has been providing travel services across North America since 2006. Operating in 20 cities across Canada and the USA, the company specializes in small group tours that offer personalized, high-quality experiences for travelers.
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